Taxi Driver Online :: View topic - Uber driver dies after experiencing Covid-19 on airport run

The 44-year-old driver had “starved” for several days in his rented lodgings, telling his wife by phone that he did not want to leave his room because other residents might realise he had Covid-19 and he would be thrown out.

Kumar, 38, an NHS IT worker, said the fear was founded in an experience in March when a previous landlord allegedly ordered him to leave because he thought Jayaseelan, as a minicab driver, would spread the disease to him and his family. Jayaseelan had to sleep in his car for several nights.

By the time he drove himself to hospital earlier this month, his condition was becoming critical and he was placed on a ventilator. He died shortly after his wife and mother in Bangalore saw him unconscious in a final video call arranged by Kumar.

Author:	Sussex [ Thu Apr 16, 2020 8:48 pm ]
Post subject:	Uber driver dies after experiencing Covid-19 on airport run
Uber driver dies after experiencing Covid-19 symptoms following Heathrow trip An Uber driver who died in hospital started to experience symptoms of coronavirus after a passenger trip to Heathrow Airport, his friend has said. Father-of-two Rajesh Jayaseelan, 45, died in Northwick Park Hospital on April 11 after testing positive for the virus. His friend of eight years Sunil Kumar told the PA news agency that Mr Jayaseelan started to experience symptoms shortly after a trip to the international airport for a passenger. Mr Jayaseelan, who lived in Harrow, west London, moved to the UK from Bangalore, India, a decade ago and worked as a driver for the ride-hailing app for the last few years. As his wife and two sons, aged four and six, live in India, video calls between Mr Jayaseelan and his family were arranged when his condition deteriorated. “I spoke to the ward nurse and she said he was very, very sick and the chance of survival was fading,” Mr Kumar said. “I managed to organise video calls to his family, to his wife, mum and kids, and I got to see him on video as well. A few hours later, the hospital called me to say he had died.” Mr Kumar said information provided to him by Uber showed that Mr Jayaseelan made a trip to Heathrow Airport on March 25. Shortly afterwards, the 45-year-old started to show symptoms and was advised to stay at home and self-isolate. He drove himself to hospital on April 3 after his condition worsened. Mr Kumar, an NHS IT support worker, said the hospital’s bereavement team had confirmed that Mr Jayaseelan had tested positive for the disease. He thought it was “highly possible” that he could have contracted Covid-19 while working. According to Mr Kumar, the Uber driver had been forced to leave his rented home because of his profession, and was forced to sleep in his car before he managed to find temporary accommodation. In a tribute to his friend, Mr Kumar said: “He was very down to earth, always kept to himself, he was very humble and would go out of his way to help people. “We helped each other in hard times.” Mr Kumar has set up a fundraiser on the GoFundMe website to help Mr Jayaseelan’s family, as the driver was the “sole breadwinner” of the family. The fund, which he said will go towards helping shape the future for his children, has raised more than £6,000.

Author:	Sussex [ Fri Apr 17, 2020 5:38 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Uber driver dies after experiencing Covid-19 on airport
Uber driver dies from Covid-19 after hiding it over fear of eviction An Uber driver has died from Covid-19 after trying to hide his illness for fear that he would be evicted if his landlord found out, a friend has revealed. Rajesh Jayaseelan, a married father of two who came to London from India about a decade ago, died alone in Northwick Park hospital in Harrow on 11 April, according to Sunil Kumar, a friend of his. The 44-year-old driver had “starved” for several days in his rented lodgings, telling his wife by phone that he did not want to leave his room because other residents might realise he had Covid-19 and he would be thrown out. Kumar, 38, an NHS IT worker, said the fear was founded in an experience in March when a previous landlord allegedly ordered him to leave because he thought Jayaseelan, as a minicab driver, would spread the disease to him and his family. Jayaseelan had to sleep in his car for several nights. By the time he drove himself to hospital earlier this month, his condition was becoming critical and he was placed on a ventilator. He died shortly after his wife and mother in Bangalore saw him unconscious in a final video call arranged by Kumar. Jayaseelan is the third Uber driver confirmed to have died from Covid-19 in the capital, but there have been reports of several more. Zeeshan Ahmed, a father of two young children in his late 20s, died in St George’s Hospital in Tooting on Thursday. He had underlying health problems, a friend said. “He is young, he left a young wife and children and he was the only child of his parents,” the friend told the Guardian. “He was a great person, very charming and full of life.” Ayub Akhtar died last week of complications relating to Covid-19. Abdurzak Hadi, another driver who fell seriously ill, said the lack of clear guidelines and protection for minicab drivers left them highly vulnerable. Some have improvised plastic barriers between the front and back seats, but many have not, concerned that doing so might breach their licence, Hadi said. “We think that there have been at least six deaths of minicab drivers and there have been countless numbers ill, some critically,” said Yaseen Aslam, general secretary of the United Private Hire Drivers’ Association. “It is very distressing. The migrant workers in particular are vulnerable because they feel forced to work because they are not entitled to government benefits.” Uber confirmed the deaths of Akhtar and Jayaseelan, saying it was “deeply saddened”. The Guardian has asked for comment about Ahmed. “Our hearts go out to their loved ones and to everyone suffering during this unprecedented time,” said Jamie Heywood, Uber’s regional general manager for northern and eastern Europe. Uber last month said it would compensate drivers with up to £100 per week for up to 14 days if they were diagnosed with Covid-19, placed in quarantine or asked to self-isolate. Kumar said Jayaseelan came from poverty and had hoped to move his family to London but could not yet afford to. He would travel to Bangalore to see his mother, wife and children, aged four and six, for two months each year. He had been worried about catching coronavirus last month and called Kumar asking how to stay safe. “That’s when he told me that his landlord had told him to leave because he feared that with him being a driver he could bring the virus back and infect the landlord and his family,” Kumar said. “He gave him immediate notice and he had to spend a few nights in his car.” Around 20 March, Jayaseelan was admitted to Northwick Park hospital with dehydration but was discharged after receiving intravenous fluids, Kumar said. It appears that he went back to work and his last fare was at Heathrow airport on 25 March, after which point he fell ill again. “He was finding it difficult to breathe,” Kumar said. “He told his wife he wished he had someone that could look after him even for a week and give him some food and take care of him. In the last week he really starved. He was in a room by himself and didn’t come out because he didn’t want people to see him [being ill].” When his condition worsened, he refused to call an ambulance because that might alert others to his sickness and cause him to be thrown out again, Kumar said. Shortly before he died, the hospital managed to contact Kumar, who arranged for a video call with his family. Jayaseelan died on 11 April.

Author:	Sussex [ Fri Apr 17, 2020 5:49 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Uber driver dies after experiencing Covid-19 on airport
Quote: The 44-year-old driver had “starved” for several days in his rented lodgings, telling his wife by phone that he did not want to leave his room because other residents might realise he had Covid-19 and he would be thrown out. Kumar, 38, an NHS IT worker, said the fear was founded in an experience in March when a previous landlord allegedly ordered him to leave because he thought Jayaseelan, as a minicab driver, would spread the disease to him and his family. Jayaseelan had to sleep in his car for several nights. By the time he drove himself to hospital earlier this month, his condition was becoming critical and he was placed on a ventilator. He died shortly after his wife and mother in Bangalore saw him unconscious in a final video call arranged by Kumar. This is so sad. Can someone please remind me that we are in the year 2020, not 1820?

Author:	edders23 [ Fri Apr 17, 2020 6:41 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Uber driver dies after experiencing Covid-19 on airport
not so sure of that there have been a few stories of things like that happening BUT I doubt the symptoms were following the trip I suspect he already had it as symptoms take a long time to appear All the indications are that we allowed tens of thousands of people into the Uk fleeing from areas affected and are now paying the price I think we will have the highest death toll in Europe but it sounds like it is really taking hold in South America so could be in the millions there

Author:	Sussex [ Fri Apr 17, 2020 6:45 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Uber driver dies after experiencing Covid-19 on airport
Another article about a 'taxi' driver from South London dying of Covid-19. Very very sad, but they seems to be a common thread in many of these tragic cases. https://www.geo.tv/latest/283334-second ... o-covid-19

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